Forget Innsbruck, for a truly unique city-ski break consider Otaru

Telegraph

23-03-2025

'Kiroro is closed', said the bus driver crossing both arms in front of his face to create an 'X', a traditional Japanese gesture to indicate 'no'. Seeing the look of confusion on our faces, he continued, 'there is too much snow.'
Too much snow is not a problem I encounter often when skiing, but then it's not every day that I ski in Hokkaido, one of the snowiest places on earth. My family and I had arrived in the small port city of Otaru a day earlier. Located on the western edge of Japan's northernmost island, the snow had been falling furiously for days, dumping close to half a metre of deep powder in 48 hours.
Japan's Hokkaido has long topped the list of dream destinations for skiers. Its snow – light, powdery and plentiful – is said to be among the best in the world and skiers travel from across the globe to experience the legendary Japow (Japanese powder snow). Niseko is the most famous of more than 100 ski resorts on the island, but reports of overcrowding and viral videos of long lift queues didn't appeal. Plus, when travelling this far – at least 14 hours' flight time from the UK – it seemed a shame not to include some sightseeing along with our skiing.
A new skiing culture
City-ski breaks are on the rise; anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more skiers are keen to combine culture with carving tracks. One of the most popular European destinations for such a break is Innsbruck in Austria. Initiatives such as its SKI Plus CITY Pass – which gives access to the 12 surrounding ski resorts as well as 22 sights and attractions in the city – are incentivising visitors, including two thirds of British guests, to base themselves in the city during their winter break.
At the other side of the world, roughly 25 miles and 30 minutes by train from Hokkaido's capital, Sapporo, Otaru is a unique alternative to its European counterpart. The city is surrounded by mountains on three sides with the Sea of Japan to the north. It was once the heart of Japan's herring industry and giant warehouses still stand alongside its picturesque canal. It was also the centre of Hokkaido's economy and, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, 25 banks lined the city streets lending Otaru the nickname, the 'Wall Street of the North'. Today, the grand old bank buildings have been transformed into shops, restaurants and museums.
We based ourselves at the OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resorts. Housed within the city's former Chamber of Commerce, it was the perfect choice catering to both keen skiers, with a boot room and complimentary ski waxing bar, and to curious tourists, with regular staff-led guided tours to some of the city's most popular spots.
One morning, we joined guide Kasumi for a breakfast tour of the local seafood market where we feasted on gargantuan scallops and rice bowls packed with sea urchin, crab and octopus. Another day we joined a tour of Sakaimachi Street, Otaru's most famous thoroughfare where former mansions and warehouses now house shops showcasing the city's glass blowing and music box traditions, alongside a dozen patisseries selling slices of the rich, gooey cheesecake that Hokkaido is famous for.
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The Innsbruck of Japan
When not encouraging you to explore the city's attractions, the OMO5's helpful staff also cater to stranded skiers and, after discovering that we would not be able to ski at Kiroro, the front desk recommended Asarigawa Onsen – the only one of six nearby ski resorts that was open despite the ongoing heavy snowfall.
Located a short 20-minute taxi ride from the city centre, Asarigawa (or Asari for short) is a tiny resort with just four chairlifts, nine marked pistes and a top elevation of just 680m. The equipment rental shop stocks only one unrecognisable brand of boots and skis (top tip: make sure to bring all your own equipment when skiing in Hokkaido if you can), the lift tickets are paper-based, and the tiny two-seater chairlifts lack both safety bars and speed. And yet, our day at Asari delivered some of the best skiing of our entire time in Hokkaido.
'This,' my husband said with an enormous grin as we came to a stop at the end of our first run, 'is what we came to Japan for.'
We spent the day floating through metres of freshly fallen snow, the powder reaching our knees as we ducked in and out of the trees. There was so much snow that, on one chairlift ride, my ski tip got caught in a snowdrift, whipping the ski off my boot and wedging it firmly in the deep snow. Fortunately, a friendly lift attendant came to my rescue.
We stopped briefly at the only mountain resthouse, where a vending machine dispensed cans of hot chocolate and strong coffee which we drank while drying ourselves in front of the solitary oil heater. Later, we enjoyed steaming platefuls of katsu curry at the resort's restaurant before hitting the slopes again. The snow stopped briefly towards the end of the day and the clouds parted to reveal Otaru's neat city streets in the distance and the wild ocean waves beyond.
Powder hunters
Organised transport to Otaru's nearby ski resorts is minimal: a shuttle bus runs to and from Kiroro Ski Resort, the largest and most popular of the neighbouring ski areas, but, as we discovered, securing a seat can be tricky. Public transport options are not only limited but they double the travel time involved. An alternative – and a popular option with returning skiers using the amenities of the city – is to hire a car instead. Options include Toyota (toyotarentacar.net) and Times Car Rental (timescar-rental.com).
Eventually we made it to Kiroro, and spent a day skiing its groomed pistes. The heavy snowfall meant that many of the resort's 23 runs were closed, and earnest patrol staff chased down any would-be powder hunters who attempted to ski beyond the marked slopes. But despite the temporarily restricted ski area, we made the most of the largely empty runs and exceptionally light powder snow.
Back in Otaru we spent our final night at a small izakaya, a cosy restaurant decorated with mementoes of the city's seafaring past: glass buoys and fishing nets hung suspended from the ceiling and giant scallop and clam shells littered the small wooden ship hull that separated the dining area from the kitchen. We dined on fresh sashimi, steamed crab and grilled Ezo deer meat before heading back to our hotel, leaving footsteps along the snowy streets and dreaming of the fresh powder tracks we would make tomorrow.
Essentials
Katja Gaskell and family were guests of OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resorts (0081 503134 8096; hoshinoresorts.com), which offers rooms from 16,000 JPY (£83) per room per night (two sharing, room only). Fly from London Heathrow to Sapporo via Tokyo with British Airways (britishairways.com) from £978 return. Lift passes cost from £25 per day at Asari Ski Resort (asari-ski.com), and from £25 during spring season and £40 during high season at Kiroro Ski Resort (kiroro.co.jp). Find out more at visit-otaru-en.info